The following is my review of the Fantasy Shopping Table (FST): A random encounter generator for D&D, by Jason Bradley Thompson.

A San Francisco native, Jason is a talented author and game designer. He is from Mockman Press, and well-known to fans of D&D for his comic walk-throughs of classic adventures. Longtime B3 readers may recall our review of Jason’s hit game, Mangaka, or our review of his unique D&D5e divine caster class, The Priestess. FST has great artwork by Konstantin Pogorelov, as well as an easy-to-navigate layout by Jumana Al Hashal.

In the author’s words, “Fantasy Shopping Table gives adventurers who like shopping as many plot hooks as adventurers who like binge-drinking in seedy establishments.” FST makes buying gear and items more exciting than simply looking up the item in the Player’s Handbook. The FST separates markets into Common and Black, a designation which affects both the cost of items, and their availability.

What I especially like about FST is that a player’s background factors into the shopping experience. Backgrounds are often forgotten immediately after character creation. Additionally, FST is packed with dozens of tables that leads to deals, steals, double-crosses, fights and adventures.

Fantasy Shopping Table is available now on the Dungeon Master’s Guide, where the
16-page PDF retails for $2.99. Personally, I think it is worth every penny as it creates a more dynamic downtime shopping experience.

The sorcerer, imbued by fate with powers beyond the ken of mortals, inspires envy and suspicion in equal measure. Their strange, intrinsic connection with arcane force can be a blessing or a curse, and each sorcerer must come to grips with the fact that they are fundamentally different from everyone else they know, whether they like it or not. Whether they learn to accept their curse or embrace their gift, sorcerers can tap into the power of the multiverse and shape it to their will. Yet another reason to not pick on the weird kid at lunch….

1. Racial tensions rise when the beornings raise the price of honey at market day, blaming the human village for a mysterious illness among the bees.

2. A boy with unexplained powers is blamed for the village’s misfortune, and will be burned at the stake at first light if no one intervenes.

3. An important bridge across a misty ravine has collapsed, and the work crew sent to rebuild it has disappeared, leaving grisly clues behind.

4. A bitter nobleman hires the party to help spy on his romantic rival, who has dark secrets he will do anything to conceal.

5. At an orc-dwarf treaty signing brokered by humans, a high-ranking officer of the dwarvish iron mining guild is found murdered, threatening a fragile peace.

6. A wealthy merchant’s impetuous and spoiled son craves adventure, and wants to investigate an abandoned keep rumored to be haunted. The merchant will pay the party handsomely to see that the boy stays out of trouble.

7. A rash of unexplained murders at the university is causing panic, as construction begins on a new campus library.

8. Dark dreams plague an aging duke, even as, one by one, his rivals die mysteriously in the night. The duchess hires the party to watch over him, in case he is next to be killed.

9. The old hermit in the hills was once a renowned healer, they say. Perhaps he will know how to stop the strange fever that began near the crypts.

10. A dangerous relic of the Old People is found in a tunnel, awakening an eons-old evil that could end the world a second time.

11. During a lightning storm, a castaway from another world appears, wielding strange weapons and arcane powers. But her troubles have followed her to your world, and sending her back requires the party to make some dark choices.

12. A new prophet has arisen among the human population, preaching a fanatical religion of blood and fire. But who… or what… are they really worshiping?

13. Passing by an ancient circle of standing stones, you are stricken by excruciating pain, and the knowledge that something terrible is slowly clawing its way into your world.

14. The newly pious king outlaws magic and other “heresies”, upon pain of death. Help smuggle a small group of elderly wizards out of the kingdom before the king’s inquisitors can find them.

15. You are approached by an old adventurer who says they are your future self, and asks you to commit a seemingly horrific crime to change future events for the better.

16. One of the king’s most trusted advisors is discovered to be a vampire, revealing a terrifying plot centuries in the planning.

17. When an artificer is arrested by the crown’s inquisitors, a device which detects beings of magical nature falls into the hands of the authorities.

18. A powerful wizard from the Academy challenges you to a magical duel, seeking to prove once and for all the superiority of academic magic over sorcery.

19. An old friend of the party, who retired from adventuring after losing a hand, is framed for a murder he could not have committed.

20. The recent crop blight and plague of strange monsters is traced back to a glowing object, which exudes magical energy too deadly for mortals to approach. The local baron is determined to possess it for himself.

Today’s guest blogger is Jacky Leung from Death by Mage, and he has delivered 20 D&D Wizard quest ideas. Be sure to check our Jacky’s latest hit, Journey into the Feywild on DM’s Guild.

The wizard, ever the seeker of knowledge and arcane spells. The mightiest of their kind endured many hardships, battles, confrontations, and disasters. A wizard early in their career can still be potent, but they still suffer the fate of mortality. Only mighty archwizards who have mastered the arcane arts become juggernauts of mystical powers and wield reality at the palm at their hand. But like all adventurers, a wizard will embark on a quest in their search for power, knowledge, and truth. Maybe they’ll learn something more along the way.

A local alchemist is indeed of reagents and ingredients for a new potion. They are willing to share the results with you, but the location of the ingredients lead to an abandoned mine.

An experiment has gone awry, you must search for clues to learn what happened to the missing arcanist’s research and their location.

A group of renegade mages is causing havoc across several villages, innocents have been harmed, and some have declared themselves de facto rulers in these townships.

There is a village that appears once every 50 years, today is the day it returns again, and possibly your last chance to break the curse that binds the village and its people.

Strange occurrences have happened near a small city, stories of creatures made of fire and rock are said to roam in the countryside, the party is hired to put a stop to the creatures and whatever is causing them to spawn.

You found a piece of a broken gemstone with odd markings, further research concluded that it was part of a larger stone that would unlock greater powers if combined.

You are hired for your arcane skills to help escort an important dignitary across hostile territory, utilizing your cunning and magical spells to pass undetected across open road.

Stories of ancient runes have peaked your interest to a remote mining town in the mountains, some believe that the writings dictate the location of a hidden tomb.

You were recruited by a former colleague to identify and possibly discover the properties of a recently discovered relic, but you learn that dangerous thieves seek to acquire the item.

You and your former colleagues from the academy meet for a class reunion, and you learn that one of your members was recently murdered at the function.

Your party has been hired as militia for a small kingdom, you are tasked with providing tactical assistance from anti-infantry measures to covert operations.

Legends speak of a mighty and powerful dragon that resides within a misty vale, said to possess ancient knowledge from ages past, the journey alone is treacherous enough.

You have been challenged to a magical duel by a rival wizard you’ve met across many years, the day before the fateful match, you learn that your opponent was murdered and the first suspect.

You have been commissioned by a local blacksmith to decipher a series of runes etched on a recently acquired suit of armor, but you realize the runes are from a dead civilization many assumed to be a myth.

Your party has been hired for an expedition into a dangerous ruin full of ancient traps and deadly arcane wards, but the area makes magic unstable when cast.

An odd curse has befallen one your party members, causing them to age younger with each passing day, soon they will cease to exist unless you can find the source and reverse it.

You seek entry to an acclaim library said to house the world’s knowledge but in order to enter, you must present a book or piece of written work of near priceless quality.

You found a skull inhabited but a spirit of intellect that possesses massive stores of knowledge, during your inquiries, you hear of a mystical tome that belonged to a powerful archwizard that has been deceased for centuries.

In your studies, you learn that certain stars and constellations align once every few hundred years that bring results in calamity and destruction, and that the event was approaching within one week.

A coalition of sheep herders hires you and your party to help prevent more missing sheep at night, some have suggested for you to use magic to disguise the sheep.

Jacky Leung grew up in sunny South Florida and continues to reside in the land of eternal sunshine. He started playing tabletop RPGs with D&D 3rd Edition back in the early 2000s. Since then, he has played various other RPGs and continues to enjoy discovering new systems. He enjoys writing about RPGs and discussing about different approaches to improve storytelling. He can be found on his blog at deathbymage.com, and can also be found on his Twitter. He also writes for Encounter Roleplay covering RPG reviews, news within the community, and Kickstarter features. Jacky has written products on the DMsGuild and DriveThruRPG and creates original concepts on his Patreon.

Jacky has also been featured for his iconic D&D 5th Edition Santa Claus, and you can read more about it:

Your allies suspect a large ship in the harbor is being used by slavers.

You must travel to Hell and rescue a stranded group of knights.

You learn a vampire has secretly become the leader of a large city.

The love of your life has made a deal with an arch fey. You must travel to the land of the fey to deal with the situation.

You are tasked with protecting a caravan through an area overrun by undead.

You must escort a dangerous prisoner to the king’s dungeon.

Your child runs away and joins an evil knighthood.

A silver dragon asks to be protected from an evil adventuring party.

Your deity sends you on a journey to another plane to retrieve a legendary magical item.

A priest at your temple disappears during the full moon.

You find out a spy has infiltrated a local jousting competition.

The local Fighters’ Guild is accused of working for an evil lord.

Your deity has found the ‘chosen one’. You must escort the young apprentice across the kingdom to the Great Temple.

Merchants complain that a cult of devil-worshippers are stealing their business.

Andrew Cawood is a storyteller, former teacher, and counselor. He runs Cawood Publishing, an Indie RPG company based in Vancouver, Canada. The company has made over 30 5E products, including 20 bestsellers for DriveThruRPG and the DMs Guild. Their product catalog includes the Monsters of Feyland handbook and the World of Myrr campaign setting.

On your masters’ deathbed he tells you of a brother that still lives deep in hostile territory in the frozen north, to complete your training you must seek him out.

You were placed as a bodyguard for a VIP at your temple, you failed and must prove that it was a set up by a jealous rival student to clear your name.

(Every 80s kids favorite) you are bullied by bigger older students of a monk school, saved by an old gardener/maintenance worker and trained in the ancient ways of Ki to teach them a lesson. PS, they are blonde, wealthy, jerks, and good-looking so you know they are bad guys.

Doing your chores one day you dig up an old amulet that is cursed with the spirit of a long-dead warrior. You put it on to admire yourself and are endowed with all the memories and skills of this warrior, what do you do now?

Having sworn to never use your skills again after a tragic accident, you retire to a simple the life in a small town, only to find that your old shogun will stop at nothing to get you back. If the shogun can’t have you, then no one can.

Having lost the use of your hands, you overhear a bard singing of a Dwarf blacksmith that has unlocked the secret of the Iron Fists, you believe that this is the key to get your self-worth back.

You are hired to protect an orphanage from a marauding horde of hyenas, and gnolls, led by a vrock. All your years of training have prepared you for this.

You stumble across a newborn baby floating down a river in a basket, with it is a pouch of 500 gold, and a note to please safeguard it till its 18th birthday; at that time, you are to see the child safely back to the kingdom to claim the child’s rightful place on the throne.

You are a noble that got mixed up in the wrong crowd and find yourself buried alive, in your desperation, you discover your Ki and escape your grave now free to do what you will and to extract your revenge.

Your family and village were raised in front of you by a warlord ransacking the countryside, you as a child then sold to slavery, as you grew you were trained to the art of hand to hand combat for others entertainment, now you are free what do you do?

Having had passed all the levels of your training you are now ready to train a new generation, on a trip to visit your family your ship is lost in a storm you wake up in a strange land.

All the leaders in the land have united against a shadowy threat forming and posed to take over the world, your destiny has been clear since your birth that you are the one to lead 4 great heroes to face and vanquish this evil.

Growing up as an orphan on the streets you would often beg across from a monastery, growing up watching them train you to find that you to have learned the ways of the monks.

You are part of a group of monks trained to protect and stop anyone from miss using an ancient portal, you discover there is a long-running plot almost ready to be completed be cultists that have infiltrated your order and seek to crack open this portal and unleash what is locked behind it.

You retire to watch over your children after the loss of your spouse, when a bested but not vanquished foe from your past rears its ugly head and kidnaps your children.

You live in a large lake town lead by a greedy Mayor, this person’s greed and lust for magic items has brought the eye and wrath of a group of Oni down upon your town and its children.

You have been sent a letter that your master has been slain by a master of a rival school, you are the only one left that can stop the takeover of your school now.

You have heard stories of a haunted Dojo in the swamps and that there are still many items of value left behind.

A local drug gang has noticed your lack of respect for the local law and their rules and has invited you to a meeting, having broken up several of the gangs’ past dealings this may be a trap under the guise of an olive branch.

Your sister has been commissioned to deliver ten barrels of rice wine the best in the land for the capitals winter fest, a rival maker will stop at nothing to stop the delivery and make her look bad.

A magic staff has been planted in a large rock at the center of the capital, it is said that the warrior that can pull the rad from its resting place will be the ruler.

Don Caraco born in Alaska in 1974, the year of the great RPG awakening. He grew up in South Carolina, and moved to Philadelphia for college, and still resides there today. I am an artist, general contractor, renovator and restorer of a single family home, home inspector and as of December of 2016, founder of Phillys’ first open TTRPG group Drinks and Dragons.

You can check us out on Facebook, email us at drinksanddragons215@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter. Thanks for letting me share these hooks! I hope they are useful. Ideas for the 20 plus hooks came from myself and from members of Philadelphia’s original open TTRPG night, Drinks and Dragons.

Every day I hear/read people saying that they would like to learn to play D&D but don’t know where to start. Additionally, I’ve met several people who used to play D&D, but who didn’t know how to get back into Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve created a list of resources, some free, some not, that will allow new players to get started playing D&D, as well as aid returning players.

I’ve personally played D&D for the last 27 year, and have played every edition of the game, and I can honestly say 5th edition is the easiest rule set to learn. This is a great time to start playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Free Options

D&D Basic Rules (Free)
“The Basic Rules runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options; in addition, the rules contain 120 spells,
5 backgrounds, and character sheets.” (WotC)

D&D SRD (Free)
The D&D Basic set has a lot of information to get you started, but it only contains a few character classes. When you’re ready to expand into more options, you can use a System Reference Document to access free (under the Open Game License) content legally. There are many SRDs online, I recommend 5thSRD.org as they run a clean site, free of ads. 5thSRD.org can also be downloaded for offline use.

Public Library (Free)
Believe or not, your public library likely has some gaming books, and even if they don’t, they will gladly do an intralibrary loan to borrow the core books from another library.

Die Rollers
Another free option for digital players (those who like to use their phone or tablet at the table) is die rollers programs. You can find many free apps and programs to replace physical dice.

Paid Options

Starter Set (>$20)
“Containing everything you need to leap into a D&D adventure, this boxed set is designed for five to six players, with one of you taking on the role of the game’s lead storyteller, the Dungeon Master.” The starter set is available at your local game store, Walmart, and Target.” (WotC) The Starter Set comes with:

64-page adventure book with everything the Dungeon Master needs to get started

DM Screen ($10)
A Dungeon Master’s Screen is not for everyone. They contain a lot of useful information and they can be useful in hiding your notes and miniatures, but some DMs choose to roll and act in the open, lest they be accused of cheating.

Grid Mats
I use a variety of battle mats, but the one that is always on my table is from Chessex. They come in three sizes: Battlemat (23.5 x 26), Megamat (34.5 x 48 inches), and the Mondomat (54 x 102 inches). The Battlemat is a bit small, but a good choice is your table is small. The Mondomat is too big for nearly all tables. I have an eight-foot-long game table and it wouldn’t fit well. My recommendation is the Megamat.

Note: regardless of the pens you use, or what you use to clean your map, they will stain over time. Invest in a piece of clear plexiglass to place over your mat. My Chessex Megamat has never been written on and looks pristine after 5-6 years of play.

This week’s guest blogger is Nerditor Doug from Nerdarchy.com. He was kind enough to write up 20 D&D ideas for the ranger in your party.

Home for the Holidays. A young scholar needs an escort from their school through the wilderness of your favored terrain back to their home village for a traditional celebration, and your favored enemy’s activity has been on the rise in the region, making the journey perilous.

Timing is Everything. A magical flower with rumored healing powers blooms only once a year in a remote glade in the shadow of Trimount when the light of twin full moons pierces the darkness of the mountain, and a sage wants a sample for their botanical research.

Myth Becomes Reality. Local legend tells of Goldhorn, a white ibex with horns of brilliant gold that are the key to discovering a hidden treasure, but hunters who have pursued the beast in the past all met unfortunate ends according to myths told by the folk of the area.

Pitiless Protector. The beasts of the forest have become increasingly aggressive, and even the plant life has grown dangerous, after a madness infected the wood woad deep within whose heart tree grows from the gravesite of the druid circle that created it.

Fane of the Frost Wyrm. The chieftain of the Frost Wyrm Clan has heard of your exploits and invites you to join in their Great Hunt — an expedition to track down and defeat a remorhaz in their arctic homeland as part of a rite of passage.

Danger Among the Dunes. Travellers along a desert trade route have started to go missing, and it turns out a lamia is using a powerful magical item to cast mirage arcane to create an illusion of an oasis to lure victims into its grasp.

Enemy of My Enemy is My…Enemy? Your favored enemy, normally kept in check, has been growing more aggressive lately and you discover an even greater danger threatening them, causing the uncharacteristic behavior.

Spawn of the Star Toad. Cultists devoted to a froghemoth lurk in the sewers, kidnapping vagrants and feeding them to the star toad’s spawn to cultivate its progeny and transform the tunnels into a swampy lair for their abhorrent master.

Weirder Things. A child from the village went missing, and their friends went into the deepest, darkest parts of the forest to try and find them but the same nothic who abducted their friend now imperils the young adventurers.

What Nobility Wants. A messenger arrives in a frontier town, proclaiming the land is now part of a barony granted to a knight who plans to divert the nearby river for tactical reasons, which would have a severe impact on the town and the environment.

But It Was There Last Week! Returning to a familiar hamlet for supplies and to check on the folk there, the entire place is missing as if it were never there at all with no trace of the people or buildings remaining and the surrounding plant life in full bloom — but it’s winter.

Here, Kitty Kitty. Drawn by an unusual mewling sound, you find two kittens crying out of fear and hunger but they’re no ordinary kittens — their fur is purple-black and they have six legs and two nubs on their shoulders — but how did these displacer beast kitties get here and what happens when mom comes looking for them?

Caravan of Cruelty. Slavers are returning to their remote stronghold after a successful raid with cages full of captives to be sold, and confronting the terrible slavers without any of the captives getting harmed in the process will be difficult — but no one should live in chains! (Alternatively could be drow returning to the Underdark after a successful raid on the surface world.)

Not All Who Are Lost Are Wanderers. Far from civilization, a lost woman is distraught and says she does not remember how she got out here…but the woman is actually a night hag who will haunt the ranger’s dreams and attempt to corrupt or kill them in their sleep during the trek back to settled lands.

Hunter’s Feast. A group of hunters set up camp in the woods and offer a place to rest and a warm meal, except you are the meal when they reveal themselves as werewolves and attack!

Extreme Environmentalism. Seeping emanations from the Shadowfell corrupted a dryad’s tree, pushing her to take on extreme methods to protect the area and those she kills are thrown into a midden heap that’s become a shambling mound.

With Foxes We Must Play the Fox. A fox is caught in a bear trap, and a hungry pack of wolves is moving in for the kill but if you can defeat or drive off the pack and free the fox it shapeshifts into a thankful druid who grants a boon.

Equal Pay for Equal Work. Two groups square off in the wilderness over a pile of treasure, with a group of adventurers claiming ownership for destroying a gnoll encampment and a group of bandits demanding a share for saving them from certain death even though no help was asked for.

Bravery or Foolishness? In order to become a knight and fulfill a lifelong dream, a young warrior is tasked with slaying a green dragon but despite their prowess they’re in over their heads unless you help them.

Haunted By the Past. The ghost of a veteran soldier haunts the spot where they and the knights under his command were killed by a terrible beast, filling the apparition with guilt and remorse that their decision led to the group’s death and no one from their homeland knows their fate.

Nerditor Doug is a writer, editor and content creator with Nerdarchy and clients in the tabletop gaming community. A proud Clevelander, Doug is a news designer by night and RPG content creator by…later in the night. He invites gaming fans to check out the Nerdarchy YouTube channel, Nerdarchy.com and the Nerdarchy Patreon where he and fellow Nerdarchists Dave and Ted are constantly at work to entertain, share their love of RPGs and make new stuff for gamers around the world.

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildWelcome dear reader to Hamund and rsquo;s Harvesting Handbook, written by none other than I, Hamund Holderhek! But who am I you ask? Well, I am an adventurer at heart, a writer by passion, and a harvester at trade. I have travelled the many planes of the multiverse in search of adventure and story (for more of those stories, p […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildLaunch Sale! For a short time only, this title is just $9.95 $7.95! and nbsp; Over two thousand years ago, a philosopher-general named Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War, the seminal work on military strategy. Discover how you can use these ancient secrets to master the game of Dungeons and amp; Dragons! This book has the following […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildI want to loot the thing! When brave adventurers face the dangers of the world, they want something to show for it. This supplement provides individual loot for each monster in the Monster Manual, as well as a basic crafting and harvesting system that works well with 5th Edition Dungeons and amp; Dragons. and nbsp; With this s […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildWelcome to Keeping It Classy: The Barbarian This book aims to give you a host of new options for the Barbarian class, to liven up your game. This includes the following: 15 new Barbarian Paths 5 new backgrounds (usable by everyone, but thematically appropriate for Barbarians) 1 new race (the redscale lizardfolk - a semi-civili […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildVillains and amp; Lairs III FREE Expand your game with this collection of and nbsp;8 NPCs of various challenge ratings, one of which includes and map and details of its lair. Add these NPCs as a and nbsp;side-quest, a main villain, a one-shot, a and nbsp;bounty for easy money, or and nbsp;however and nbsp;else you wish. and nb […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildReturn to the Ghost Tower of Inverness This is a familiar scene. Shackled. Bound. The same faces surround you as the last time you were inthis dark, dank cell. Your friends, your party members. You and rsquo;ve been told that your actions have led todeath and destruction near and far, but you were only doing what was demanded […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters GuildLimited-time introductory price of just $6.95! Take the characters adventuring on the savage seas! Encounters on the Savage Seas II contains 16 mini-adventures and includes NPCs, locations, new creatures, and magic items to add to your nautical adventures. We and rsquo;ve even included scaling suggestions so they can be used w […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild "To all available sellswords and adventurers: The town desperately needs sentries, if only for a day. The council promises a generous reward in gold and perks. Visit the Administrator in the town hall at your earliest convenience. Pastries and tea will be offered." - Administrator Mandy Otter This is a collection of […]

Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild"Few men have been brave enough to challenge a dragon without an army at his back, and fewer still have lived to tell the tale. Dragons are cunning beasts, with a deep thirst- whether it be for blood, knowledge, or justice, a dragon will always keep itself sated. Be wary of their kind." - and nbsp;Dragonslayer Fordea […]